Thieves invaded the Trench Town Primary School in St. Andrew recently, making off with nine computers, a printer, a fan, three radios and approximately $16,000 in cash. A charity group had donated the computers (manufactured by Dell) to the school just last year and since then, they had been making a huge difference in the lives of the students. Overall, it was a crippling blow to a school that’s already burdened on a daily basis with the threat of community violence, economic hardships and the fluctuating attendance that these problems cause.
Additionally, the vagabonds reportedly crushed and destroyed a small garden that the children had been diligently cultivating. They even reading charts off the walls, apparently lighting them for use as torches so they could have sufficient light to carry out their dastardly deeds.
A man appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he faced a simple larceny charge for stealing a bottle of shampoo from the Woolworth store in downtown Kingston.
In court yesterday, the man – Michael Lawrence – expressed regret for his actions, saying that he has a legitimate job as a carpenter. The judge took his acceptance of guilt into consideration, and thus sentenced him to do 100 hours of community service by repairing broken furniture (given his skillset) at the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court Court and at the Half-Way Tree Police Station. He is to begin the community service on Monday, June 7.
The judge warned him however, that if he fails to complete his sentence, he would be sentenced to two years in prison.
A 43 year old female teacher appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court earlier this week, where she faced a charge of simple larceny. She is accused of stealing three pairs of dress pants from an ‘uptown’ store.
The court heard that on April 23, the teacher went to the store in the Kingston 8 area of Constant Spring, and reportedly took five pairs of trousers from the racks. She was being watched closely by a security guard who observed that she entered a changing remove, and later emerged with only two pairs of the pants which she then placed back on the racks.
She exited the store, and was accosted by the security guard who searched her handbag and found the three pairs of pants which were valued at US$131. The matter was reported to the police and she was arrested and charged.
The teacher has however denied the allegations, and claimed in court that she had purchased the items. She displayed a copy of a receipt to substantiate her claim. The matter heads to trial on July 29.
A policeman reportedly arrested his own mother recently, after she had stolen $52,000 from a betting shop in Bog Walk, St. Catherine, and had eluded police investigators for four days.
According to reports, the woman worked as a cashier and operator of the betting shop’s Supreme Venture’s machine. On January 19, her boss went to check the previous day’s sales, but found there was no cash where it should have been. The matter was reported to the police, who went in search of her; but she was not found. Her policeman son reportedly heard about the theft, caught up with her, arrested her, and handed her over to investigators.
In the Spanish Town Criminal Court last week, she pleaded guilty to the charge of ‘larceny as a servant’. The resident magistrate adjourned the matter until March 23, when she will be sentenced.
43 year old Patrick McMasters, of a Gutters address in St. Catherine, appeared before the Old Harbour Resident Magistrate’s court recently, where he faced charges of driving away a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, and obtaining credit by fraud.
Allegations are that on December 31, 2009 at approximately 8:30 p.m., McMasters went into a churchyard (during the Church’s New Year’s Eve watch night service) at Spring Village, St. Catherine, where a Toyota Hiace minbus was parked with the keys in the ignition. He allegedly drove away the bus, and also reportedly went to a gas station along the Old Harbour Road, asked for $5000 diesel oil, and after being served, he drove away without paying.
At about 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day, McMasters was stopped at a police roadblock, and subsequently arrested after he failed to provide the police with the bus’ documents.
McMasters pleaded not guilty to the charges in court, and was remanded into custody for psychiatric evaluation. He is to return to court on February 25, when his case will be mentioned again.
Two higglers, 25 year old Dwayne Derby and 35 year old David Hutchinson, appeared before the Spanish Town Criminal Court yesterday, where they faced joint charges of warehouse breaking, larceny and receiving stolen property. They are accused of breaking a warehouse and stealing 900 pairs of shoes valued at J$500,000.
According to the police, on the morning of January 2 this year, the owners of a warehouse in the White Marl industrial complex in Spanish Town opened for business, and discovered that 50 cases containing 900 pairs of shoes valued at J$1/2 million were missing. The matter was reported to the police, and, acting on intelligence, the police went to the Falmouth market in Trelawny on January 5, and recovered 94 pairs of the shoes, seized $16,700 in cash and arrested and charged both men.
Both men pleaded innocent to the charges, and had their bail extended. They are to return to court on March 5 when the matter will be mentioned again.
Steve Wright, of a Corporate Area address, who was charged with larceny as a servant after he stole a blackberry phone from his employer, was sentenced (in absentia) in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday to nine months at hard labour.
Wright had previously appeared before the court, and promised to return the instrument. He however failed to deliver it to the complainant, and did not return to court for sentencing. A bench warrant for his arrest was ordered, and he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.
Thieves reportedly raided and looted the VIP boxes at the Northern Stand of Sabina Park, snatching at least five expensive plasma television sets. The VIP boxes that were raided reportedly include that of the Prime Minister. It is not known exactly what time the theft occurred, but it was some time after the 1st one-day international cricket match between the West Indies and India which ended on Friday (June 26) evening.
